A town mayor has added her support to a council’s claim against the building of a rail freight interchange.

St Albans District Council has lodged a claim in the High Court to challenge the Government’s decision to approve plans for a huge rail freight terminal on a Green Belt site in Radlett.

The decision will be challenged on three points of law, with the first being concerned with the legality of the Secretary of State’s approach in making his decision.

The second ground for appeal relates to the misapplication of wording in the National Planning Policy Framework, which sets out national planning policy, while the third relates to "procedural irregularity and inconsistency" on the rail freight interchange decision.

Elstree and Borehamwood town mayor Pat Strack says she fully supports the district council’s claim, and will be encouraging green belt societies and other relevant groups to support the council in its legal challenge.

She said: “The rail freight interchange will be a disaster for residents locally as well as in St Albans and Park Street. The loss of this green belt site will have an impact not only on the habitats flora and fauna associated with that site but pollution noise will impact surrounding areas over a vast area.

“Rail commuters will face years of disruption while rebuilding of bridges and tunnels are undertaken to allow access for the container trains. The trains will all be slowed by the additional competition for time slots on an already busy schedule for the track.”

Although the proposed location is within St Albans District Council's remit, the terminal will be built on the Radlett aerodrome site and so Hertsmere Borough Council has also been involved in the consultation process.

The borough council has since provided financial support, up to the sum of £30,000, to St Albans District Council to help support the fight against the terminal.

Cllr Morris Bright, Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, commented: “We fully support St Albans District Council’s action through the High Court to challenge the government’s decision to grant planning permission for the proposed rail freight terminal on Green Belt land in Park Street. 

"We have long shared the district’s concerns about the impact such a scheme would have on local infrastructure including housing, traffic and parking and consider that St Albans’s planning decisions regarding this site should have been upheld by the government.”

Cllr Strack added that anyone with concerns about the decision should ask their town, borough and county councilllors to explain where they stand on this issue and ask them to lobby the government against the plans.